Arrival

In the end, Xia Xiu successfully earned Mr. Stephen's appreciation with sixty thousand in Youyang Currency. Stephen wrote him a letter of recommendation on the spot and handed it over.

"It carries special memetic pheromones. When the time comes, Spirit Recognition will find you. Just follow its instructions."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Stephen. The money will be delivered to you shortly."

Xia Xiu then left, while Stephen cheerfully called goodbye behind him. Hearing that bright farewell, Xia Xiu shook his head with a smile and quickened his pace.

"Ah, sir, you-you're out."

Lei Si, who had been pacing outside the door, saw Xia Xiu emerge from the house unharmed. For a moment, his tongue seemed tied in knots, and he had no idea what to say.

"Come with me. We'll pick up a few things from my place. They're a gift for Mr. Stephen."

"Yes, it would be my honor."

Lei Si followed Xia Xiu with even greater deference. The two took a train to central Lambeth, where Xia Xiu told Lei Si to wait outside an upscale hotel called the Three Sparrows Inn.

After taking everything of value from Kradashi's mansion, Xia Xiu had burned it to the ground. He then posed as a student who had come from Orléans to study in Fog City and rented a room here under that identity.

At an upscale establishment, as long as the money was right, they would ask neither the necessary questions nor the unnecessary ones. Besides, who would think a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy was some vicious criminal?

Xia Xiu took out a suitcase, filled it with sixty thousand in Youyang Currency, then went downstairs and handed it to Lei Si, telling him to deliver the money to Stephen.

After sending Lei Si off, Xia Xiu returned to his luxurious rented room. He took Stephen's recommendation letter from inside his coat, examined it carefully, and set it on the table. Resting his right hand over it, he tapped rhythmically with his index finger.

Now that I have the recommendation letter, all that's left is to wait for Three Portlands to arrive, Xia Xiu thought.

Terra calendar, 1589.2.6.

Three Portlands arrived in Fog City.

Three Portlands was currently Youyang's largest paranormal enclave, with eighty thousand permanent residents. A large transient population passed through the city every day; roughly two thousand people worked full-time in Three Portlands, commuting through hidden paths. Most of its transient population consisted of occult scholars, Anomalous Arts artists, and members of unusual races.

Rumor had it that refugees of the Greek Gods who had fled Avalon also lived there.

Beside a building on the outskirts of Fog City that resembled the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the current head of the Clock Tower, Barthomeloi Phyllis, stood on an observation platform with several colleagues, gazing up at the enormous object that had appeared overhead.

"A supermassive Thaumaturgic recoil device, forty-five thousand memetic concealment runes, a large-scale concealment apparatus... So this is Three Portlands!" Bathermelo marveled.

"Chief, should we respond as well?"

"Of course. Deer College is up there, after all. We are competitors, however you look at it," Bathermelo said with a soft laugh.

With Bathermelo's approval, the Clock Tower responded.

The crowd-repelling barriers surrounding the Clock Tower were turned up to their maximum strength. Barriers that physically erased its presence from highway checkpoints or maps, barriers that obstructed vision... All the barriers were activated today, though normally only one or two were in use.

In addition, the satellite towns renovated by the eleven departments, spread across districts around Fog City such as Sla and Roxlot, activated their barriers one after another.

The seventy classrooms belonging to the various departments, along with the five large classrooms managed jointly by all of them, also activated barriers as though money were no object. Under these circumstances, though they were called classrooms, a Thaumaturgist would have found it more fitting to call them seventy-five cities.

Beyond all these, a grand ritual beneath Fog City was activated as well.

[Spirit Tomb: Albion]

As the barriers unfolded, the normally active EVE particles were suppressed to their lowest activity level. Many Thaumaturgists in Fog City felt intensely uncomfortable, while Stephen, in the Lambeth slums, ran straight out of his portrait.

With the EVE particles suppressed, the world inside the portrait had solidified as well. If he did not get out, he really would become a painting. Feeling the inert EVE particles around him, Stephen could not help cursing the Clock Tower's neurotic behavior inwardly. Why the hell would you activate so many barriers for a damn welcoming ceremony?

Three Portlands stopped drifting above the Clock Tower, hovering silently overhead.

Before Bathermelo, a six-pointed star array composed of multiple triangles appeared on the ground. The Magic Circle gave off a gentle glow, and a middle-aged man in an ink-black robe appeared along with it.

"Hello. I am Albert Lauengen from Deer College."

"Hello. I am Barthomeloi Phyllis, head of the Clock Tower."

"Mr. Laugen, let's go inside to talk. We've prepared a generous selection of pastries for you."

Bathermelo gestured for Laugen to enter.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Bathermelo led Laugen to the designated meeting place. Laugen glanced at a penguin in the hall, snapping pictures of them with a camera. The penguin looked particularly plump.

"The staff of the Wand People's newspaper certainly are dedicated," Laugen remarked, adjusting his glasses.

"They possess the finest spatial Thaumaturgy and word-spirit techniques in all of Terra. They actively expand their external connections while maintaining an absolutely neutral political stance. All they want is to satisfy their boundless curiosity, so we have no reason to stop them," Bathermelo said.

Most powers in Terra maintained a fairly friendly attitude toward the Wand People, and most people had no serious objections to being interviewed by them.

"Let's talk inside."

"Of course."

Bathermelo and Laugen took their seats together. Servants brought out delicately prepared pastries and coffee, which the two sampled casually.

"Mr. Laugen, I'd like to ask how long Three Portlands will remain in the Fog City area this time."

"Three Portlands is expected to stay in Fog City for a month. You've probably heard that we intend to make a circuit of Youyang this time, conducting a new round of recruitment along the way."

"Only Youyang?" Bathermelo asked meaningfully.

"Diva in the north and Aolieting in the Far East are not on our route for this voyage."

"Then your final destination must be Aedisi."

"...You could say that."

"Aedisi. I've heard that the Sanctum Church and Aedisi have been planning to assemble an oceangoing fleet to cross the Chaos Sea in search of the Lost Land and the Promised Land. And Three Portlands has extensive experience navigating the Chaos Sea..." Bathermelo said pointedly.

"Is that so? I've heard a few interesting rumors myself. Apparently, Youyang and the Sanctum Church intend to assemble another crusading army for an expedition east," Laugen said, taking a sip of coffee before smiling mildly.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly grew heavy.

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